Not again!

Marley had another febrile seizure. Fuck.

Yesterday I took her to her 12 month check up. After her vaccinations I asked the medical assistant to check her temperature. I had noticed that she was feeling kind of warm but my thermometers all showed the her temp was normal. The medical assistant reported that her temperature was between 99 and 100 degrees.

We went home and I gave her some Motrin. I had already given her Tylenol before we left for the doctor's. The rest of the day we spent playing, napping and eating- her regular activities. She was playful but irritable at times, which I attributed to the shots. Her hands and feet were also slightly purple but I thought it was because she was slightly cold.

After her last nap at 3 pm she woke up, I gave her more Tylenol and tried to feed her a bottle. She played with it, obviously not interested. I sat her up and she let out a high-pitched scream. She stiffened up and started shaking. I held her close to my chest and called 911. I looked over at her and she was turning blue. After a few seconds she began to breathe but she was completely white and lethargic.

The paramedics arrived and escorted me over to Seattle Children's Hospital. Her temperature when we arrived was 102. She was poked and prodded and while stable (though tired) the doctors recommended that she spend the night for observation. She had a few episodes of cyanosis around her lips though her O2 sats remained stable.

Our pediatrician, Dr. McPhillips came to see us in the morning. Her conclusions about the cause of the seizure was that the vaccinations on top of her low grade fever precipitated the event. Marley's poor little body couldn't handle the huge immunological response and just, well, went haywire. 

We came home this afternoon and Marley is doing well. Besides a mild case of diarrhea caused by the IV antibiotics she received, she is back to her playful, feisty self.

I have a feeling this is not the last febrile seizure that Marley will have. Febrile seizures are common in children up to 6 years of age. So we have 5 more years of wringing our hands and pulling out our hair with worry every time she has a cold or slight fever- which with babies is like, ALL THE TIME.

Blah. It just sucks. It just REALLY sucks. Poor Marley. She's just an innocent baby. What did she do to deserve all this?